Hypertension and heart failure: diagnosis and management.

Heart failure continues to be a significant problem faced by today's health care professional. Heart failure remains one of the principal causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of heart failure continues to increase, largely due to an aging population and to modern technologic innovations that have led to prolonged survival of the cardiac patient. Hypertension increases the risk for heart failure in all age groups. In those individuals aged 40 years or older whose blood pressure is > 140/90 mm Hg, the lifetime risk for developing heart failure may be twice as high as that of their aged-matched counterparts. Therefore, it is imperative that the clinician be aware of the current diagnostic and therapeutic advancements for the early detection and aggressive treatment of hypertension and heart failure, to prevent patients from developing symptoms of heart failure and to decrease the need for hospitalizations once the diagnosis is confirmed.